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Muscol

Q: Is Muscol natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Fully synthetic. Multi-step organic synthesis. No natural equivalent..

MUSKS AND AMBERS / musky · warm · sensual

Muscol

Category	MUSKS AND AMBERS
Subcategory	musky · warm · sensual
Origin
Volatility	Base Note
Botanical	N/A — synthetic macrocyclic musk
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow liquid
Producing Countries	Germany, Switzerland
Pyramid	Base

Warm, musky-animalic with a woody, slightly leathery depth. Muscol is a synthetic musk that reaches toward the animalic warmth of natural musk — less clean, more primal.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Warm, musky, subtly animalic. Woody-leathery undertones. Less clean than modern polycyclics, more primal. A hint of the original musk deer's character — warm skin, slightly animalic, faintly leathery. More interesting than 'clean' musks. Moderate tenacity.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Warm, musky-animalic opening. Woody-leathery.

After a few hours

Stable animalic musk heart. Subtle leather undertone.

After a few days

Persistent warm base. Animalic residue. Moderate fade.

The Full Story

A synthetic musk molecule designed to approximate aspects of natural muscone's animalic character. Muscol provides a warmer, more animalic musk than polycyclic alternatives — it retains a hint of the 'dirty' warmth that natural musk (from Moschus moschiferus) was prized for.

The scent is musky with a woody-leathery quality. It is less clean than Galaxolide, less sweet than musk ketone, and has a subtle animalic edge that connects it to the original musk concept — the dried secretion of the musk deer. This animalic warmth makes it valuable in compositions where a more naturalistic, less laundry-like musk character is desired.

This note in Première Peau. Doppel Dänçers · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

The quest to synthesize natural musk's character has occupied perfumery chemists for over a century. Natural musk from the musk deer contains muscone, a macrocyclic ketone — but the deer's secretion also contains hundreds of other compounds that create an extraordinarily complex scent no single synthetic molecule has replicated.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Fully synthetic. Multi-step organic synthesis. No natural equivalent.

Molecular Formula	C16H32O
CAS Number	62151-56-8
Botanical Name	N/A — synthetic macrocyclic musk
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	3-METHYLCYCLOPENTADECANONE · MUSCOL
Physical Properties
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow liquid
Boiling Point	330 °C @ 760 mm Hg (est)
Flash Point	> 100 °C
Specific Gravity	0.920–0.940 @ 25 °C

In Perfumery

Base note in animalic, leather, and warm-amber compositions. Muscol provides musk character with animalic warmth — useful where polycyclic musks would be too clean or sanitized. Works in leather accords, animalic ambers, and compositions evoking warmth and intimacy. Pairs with labdanum, castoreum, and amber materials.